Last week,Susan Brinkmann returned to TASTE with a talk entitled "Leading Like Judith: How We Can Bring Peace to Our Times." Susan began by telling us the story of Judith, how she confronted the elders of her time who were putting God to the test, and how she courageously acted on behalf of her people through intense prayer and action. She asked for God's help, and then waited for God to act, rather than imposing her own will on Him, as the elders had done. So, the question becomes how do we fight the spiritual battles of our time with the weapons we have, namely our feminine genius? She used the example of Mary as well as Judith. Both women were used by God, both show us what true Faith looks like, holding fast to His schedule, even if it entails suffering on our part, calling upon God for help with endurance to wait when needed, and relying on His Grace. Who are women in the eyes of God that He would use us in such powerful ways? We must live out our feminine genius and infuse it into this world. According to Susan, there are four basic aspects to our feminine genius: 1) receptivity, 2) sensitivity, 3) generosity and 4) maternity. And she went on to describe them each in detail and how they interact with one another. She then shared some quotes from St. John Paul II, from Mary Ann Glendon, and the Vatican II Council Fathers on the importance of women which can be found HERE. We are the Judiths of our time, and it is up to us "to save the peace of the world." We have the graces we need! How do we do it? Get a handle on our self-talk - change it to be positive and constructive. We need to renounce lies about ourselves, and claim our rightful inheritance as daughters of the Most High God. We concluded our time with an exercise in forgiveness and renouncement (see HERE for handout). And finally, Susan ended with a beautiful prayer for self-esteem and healing also found HERE (second page).